Caught on camera? @MizzouMakeouts on Twitter has 7,942 followers and counting. Photo courtesy of @MizzouMakeouts

There’s apparently no private place to make out in Columbia anymore. Ever since the creation of Twitter accounts @MizzouMakeouts, @MizzouPassouts and @MizzouShackers late this summer, pictures of students’ weekend (or weekday, for the truly dedicated) hookups have gone public—and exceedingly popular.

@MizzouMakeouts has gained nearly 8,000 followers between late June and Sept. 2012. Tweets from the account claim it gained 400 followers in three hours during “syllabus week,” and that the anonymous account holder selects only one in five photos submitted, because participation has clearly skyrocketed.

When @MizzouMakeouts was first established before the semester began, it was intended to help people remember who they made out with at the bar the previous night (the description on the Twitter page still claims this is the true purpose). Pictures were predominantly snapped at local bars, such as Bengals and Fieldhouse, and residences. Photos were generally blurry and dark, clearly snapped surreptitiously by someone at the bar who clearly appreciated the antics of their fellow bar-goers.

As the semester has gotten underway, though, the pictures have become brazen, well-lit photos of people at parties who often seem to just not care that they’re being photographed. In addition, Mizzou’s faithful Twitter-users have started to mention the names of the individuals in the pictures they’re submitting. A standard tweet reads along the lines of: “@MizzouMakeouts #Shameful Get itttttt @friend2embarrass #weekend #(location).”

It’s like classic people-watching has expanded to outright attempts to embarrass people. And yet, the account seems to meet with general approval. A quick search of the name across the Twitterverse brings up tweets about how humorous it is, how proud people are of their friends for securing a place on it and how proud people are of their school because of our now-obvious proliferation of successful hookups. Predominantly, people joke that it’s their “worst fear” and that it’s “only a matter of time” before they end up on it, too.

@MizzouPassouts and @MizzouShackers have also grown, evolving from pictures of people laying down and walking across campus in sweats to people who clearly may need to have their stomach pumped and people walking across campus in bar-ready heels and basketball shorts.

In general, these Twitter accounts have expanded at an impressive rate to the point that we’re all documenting each other, not unlike a quality CW television show which centers on basically a tabloid blog with information provided by bystanders. Yes, I’m implying what @MizzouMakeouts has become reminds me of Gossip Girl— but with less Chanel and trust funds and more plaid and spilled beer. As with Gossip Girl, I’m still unsure of the motivation behind those doing the documenting.

Top 5 Things I’ve Learned from These Twitter Accounts:
1. What the interior of almost every Greek house looks like.
2. People who leave their homes with terrible fashion still get kissed.
3. Drunk people kissing in real life bears no resemblance to the same situation in romantic comedies.
4.  Mizzou students demonstrate true creativity in their pranks on passed-out people.
5. It’s important to be on guard for camera phones. Whether you’re on the statue in Tiger Plaza or a in a crowded bar downtown, just go ahead and assume you’re being watched.

What do you think? Are you a Makeouts/Passouts/Shackers junkie? Let us know in the comments!